1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to endodontics, more particularly to a device and method for easily determining whether moisture is present within the root canal of a tooth prior to sealing the root canal.
2. The Relevant Technology
When a dental practitioner performs a root canal, pulp and other material in the root canal chamber is removed. Once a dentist has removed diseased and soft tissue from a tooth's root canal, the chamber must be filled. Before the canal can be filled with gutta percha or another suitable material, any moisture present within the canal must be removed. It is important to remove the moisture, which could otherwise result in bacterial infection of the chamber. Moisture can also inhibit bonding between the root canal walls and a sealant, if used.
In some instances, pressurized air has been used to dry the canal, but because the source of pressurized air often contains even a small amount of moisture that can condense in the canal, use of this method is discouraged.
Dental practitioners have attempted to dry the canal by using cotton swabs or paper points which can be inserted down into the canal. Because of the large size of cotton swabs and the narrow cross sections of the canals, especially in the apical region, completely removing all of the moisture may prove difficult. Paper points are more easily inserted into the canal, and are especially useful as they are able to extend through curved and narrow portions of the canal, but it can still be difficult to determine whether all the moisture has been removed from the canal.
It would be an improvement in the art to provide a device and method which may be used to easily and accurately determine whether moisture is present within a root canal.